Water for Engineering

The following pages have particular interest to Engineers

Water for Engineering............................................................................................................... 1

Water sourcing.......................................................................................................................... 3

Objectives.............................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Sources of water ................................................................................................................... 3

Underground .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Surface water ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Water from the public supply ................................................................................................................................................ 4

Water Treatment ................................................................................................................. 6

Objectives.............................................................................................................................. 6
Pre-treatment.......................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Sand filter ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Aeration/iron removal.......................................................................................................................................................... 6

Carbon filter ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Dissolved solids reduction................................................................................................... 7

Softening ................................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Dealkalisation......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Demineralisation or Deionisation.......................................................................................................................................... 8

Other water treatment needs................................................................................................ 8

After treatment or refinement................................................................................................................................................ 9

Water quality ........................................................................................................................... 10

Objectives............................................................................................................................ 10
Temporary hardness......................................................................................................................................................... 10

Acidity and alkalinity.......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Langelier Index ................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Water Distribution................................................................................................................... 12

Objectives............................................................................................................................ 12
Storage capacity .................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Secondary storage............................................................................................................................................................... 12

Page 1 of 21
 Pipework............................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Control valves ................................................................................................................................................................... 13

The Cost of Water ................................................................................................................................................................ 15

Effluent .................................................................................................................................... 17

Objectives............................................................................................................................ 17
Treatment of residual materials .......................................................................................................................................... 17

The disposal of waste water................................................................................................................................................ 17

Suspended solids ................................................................................................................................................................ 18

Organic Soluble Effluent ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

Acids and Alkalis ................................................................................................................................................................. 19

High Temperature Discharges ............................................................................................................................................ 19

Mineral Oils........................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Toxic Chemicals................................................................................................................................................................... 20

The cost of effluent ............................................................................................................. 20

Regulating flow .................................................................................................................................................................... 21

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Water sourcing

Objectives

To identify the sourcing of water for the brewery.

Introduction
Breweries use large amounts of water. It is easily the most important raw material by
weight and volume. When breweries were first started, two aspects of water were all-
important. These were quality and availability. These are still important today but water
can be piped huge distances if necessary.

Today breweries tend to be located near their markets, i.e. large centres of population.
Despite improvements in supply, water is not cheap and freely available. It is regarded as
a limited resource in almost every country. There needs to be controls over its use and
disposal.

Sources of water

Water for use in a brewery can come from a variety of sources:-

· from a well or borehole

· surface water such as rivers

· from a public supply which can be either of the above sources. It is also treated

Underground
Underground water is usually consistent in terms of quality and reliability. All water needs
to be checked for contamination. The most common check is for faecal bacteria

The quality of water drawn from a well or borehole is influenced by the type of rock it
comes from. Rock such as sand, gravel, chalk or limestone allows easy flow. This is
known as permeability. Other rocks such as shale, clay or granite are not permeable. They
may however help to lock in and protect deeper water sources in permeable rocks.

Underground water usually contains dissolved mineral salts. This is an advantage if you
are running a health spa but may not be helpful to a brewery. These minerals are slowly
dissolved out of the rock as the water soaks through it. Rocks such as limestone or chalk
will produce water containing calcium and magnesium salts.

In most countries the pumping of water from underground is controlled. There is usually a
license supplied by the local government. This normally limits the volume that can be
extracted over a year. There is also a short term maximum pumping rate so that other
users in the same area are not restricted.

The level at which the water is present underground is called the water table. This level
needs to be monitored regularly so that the supply is not depleted. A typical profile of a
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well or borehole is shown below. Notice that the normal water table is quite close to the
surface. Because of pumping the level drops near the well. This incline in the water table is
called the draw down curve. In arid areas of the world this lowering of the water table is a
serious problem. Ground water is often cheap if it is near the brewery. The cost will
depend mainly on the pumping costs and the license fee.

Surface water
Surface water direct from a river is not a common method of supply. The variations in
volume can be huge depending on the weather and the quality is usually poor due to
dissolved solids and particularly suspended solids such as silt sand and clay.

Water from the public supply

Water from the public supply should be much more reliable. It is usually derived from
underground sources over a wide area or from surface water. The surface water is
normally from dammed-up rivers.

The reservoirs created in this way can usually hold enough water to last weeks or months
if there is a drought. Reservoirs also improve the quality of the water by removing almost
all the suspended solids.

Public water supplies have to be of good quality and this is normally good enough for
general use in the brewery. The water is usually filtered but is also treated to kill off
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harmful bacteria. This is done using ozone or chlorine. Surface water from rivers and
reservoirs will contain fairly high levels of bacteria. Borehole water is usually lower.

Because of the huge volumes of water used in a brewery the cost is significant. This
makes it necessary to use the cheapest source available if possible. As a result many
breweries have more than one source. Some comes from boreholes or wells, which is
cheap, and some will come from the public supply.

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Water Treatment

Objectives

To identify the treatment methods for water in the brewery.

There are 3 main types of water treatment process :

· Pre-treatment to remove suspended solids

· Treatment to reduce dissolved solids

· Post-treatment or refinement

Pre-treatment

Sand filter
Water pre-treatment is mainly concerned with the removal of suspended solids. These
very fine particles need to be taken out of suspension otherwise they will cause problems
downstream. Surface water from rivers is the most likely to contain high suspended solids.
Underground water or water from a public supply is usually quite bright. Sometimes there
is a very faint colour to the water if it contains plant material such as peat.

The most common method of pre-treatment is to use a sand filter. These sand filters look
just like a large tank with an inlet at the top and an outlet near the base. Inside they
contain large amounts of fine sand. The water trickles downwards through the sand and
fine suspended particles are trapped.

If the water is high in solids a sand filter may not be enough to remove everything.
Sometimes a coagulating agent is used to treat these solids. This acts rather like adding
finings to beer. The coagulating agent makes the fine solids clump together into larger
particles. These are then easily removed either by allowing them to settle or by going
through a sand filter. Settling or sedimentation requires an extra large shallow tank.

More information is available in Brewing:water

Aeration/iron removal
Another form of pre-treatment involves trying to remove traces of iron (Fe) or manganese
(Mn) compounds. These are sometimes present if the water comes from particular rocks.
These dissolved metals react with oxygen in the air and cause the water to go slightly
cloudy. They can be removed by firstly aerating the water and this makes it cloudy. The
water is then filtered through a sand filter as usual.

More information is available in Brewing:water

Carbon filter
Yet another form of pre-treatment is to pass the water through a carbon filter.

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These look just like a sand filter-a large tank. Inside is a material called activated carbon
that looks like small pieces of charcoal. This is similar to the material used in gas masks
and for removing stale odours from air.

Carbon filters remove traces of coloured organic material and also organic material that
may have a taint or musty smell. They also remove chlorine from the water. If a public
supply is heavily chlorinated it will be unsuitable for brewing and may even cause
corrosion problems. Carbon filtration will remove it. Carbon filtration also takes out trace
chemicals derived from pesticides and herbicides.

In summary the pre-treatment of water is mainly about removing traces of fine suspended
solids through a sand filter or something similar. Filtration can also be helped by using a
coagulating agent if the water is really dirty. Iron and manganese compounds need to be
oxidised first, then filtered out. Carbon filters remove organic compounds and chlorine.

Both sand filters and carbon filters have a finite life and need to be regenerated regularly.
Sand filters are cleaned up by reversing the flow (backwashing) through the filter and
shaking the sediment out of the gaps between the sand particles.

Carbon filters are regenerated by steaming and this sterilising /cleaning facility is shown in
the diagram. This boils off the volatile organic materials that can taint the water. Eventually
both carbon and sand filters need to be renewed with fresh material.

More information is available in Brewing:water

Dissolved solids reduction

There are various reasons why a brewery treats its water on intake, apart from pre-
treatment. Brewing water specifications vary widely around the world. Each brand is
regarded as “special” and has a particular water quality needed for brewing. Water
treatment at this stage is all about changing the dissolved mineral salts in the water. These
techniques for adjusting brewing water are described elsewhere, so below this is only a
general description of the equipment used. The methods employed will also depend on the
water composition supplied to the brewery.

The types of treatment involved are as follows :-

· Softening-the removal of water “hardness”

· Dealkalisation-the removal of bicarbonate

· Demineralisation-the complete removal of all dissolved salts

Softening and dealkalisation are only partial treatments and are significantly cheaper than
full demineralisation.

Softening
It was mentioned earlier that “hard” water can deposit scale material on pipes and vessels
and can gradually make them unfit for use. The chemicals responsible for this are
compounds of the metals calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). These can be partly or
entirely removed from water. The most commonly used modern method is to pass the
water through a column or tank containing an ion exchange resin. This takes the calcium
and magnesium out of solution but nothing else. The water still contains other minerals but
does not form scale any more.
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These ion exchange resins only work for relatively short periods of time. They can be
regenerated by flushing through the column with concentrated common salt solution which
is then discarded to drain.

More information is available in Brewing:water

Dealkalisation
Water may be either acidic (low pH)or alkaline (high pH). The most common problem is
high pH. If it is desirable to remove this alkalinity it can be done by careful addition of some
acid, usually sulphuric acid. This is a corrosive and dangerous chemical and needs careful
handling. The alkalinity in many water supplies is due to the presence of bicarbonate and
when this reacts with acid it liberates carbon dioxide CO2. This gas needs to be removed
and in plants where water is acid treated there is usually a spray tower to allow the CO2 to
be blown off. Water is first dosed with a measured amount of acid then the water is trickled
down a tower or column which has perforated plates in it. This increases the surface area
and contact time of the water. A fan blows air up the column and carries the CO2 away.

More information is available in Brewing:water

Demineralisation or Deionisation
Many breweries nowadays prefer to clean up their water supply completely by removing all
the minerals from the water. This is preferred where the mineral salt content of the water is
quite high and the water is not suitable for brewing. Minerals can be removed from water in
several ways but the 2 most common methods are:-

-Ion exchange resin

-Reverse osmosis

More information is available in Brewing:water

Other water treatment needs

It has already been mentioned that water for brewing needs special treatment depending
on the type of beer being produced. Water also needs to be softened or demineralised for
other applications. Boiler water will be mentioned separately in the section on steam.

Water used in packaging needs some treatment. It needs to be soft for use in equipment
such as tunnel pasteurisers. If not, there is the risk of scale formation. Corrosion can also
take place as warm water dries out and mineral salts get concentrated.

Similarly if there is residual water on bottles or cans it will dry out and leave traces of
mineral salts.

The caustic detergents used for bottle washing are not fully effective if they are dissolved
in water containing high mineral levels.

The potability of this water is also important since some of it will be left behind when the
bottles are rinsed and then refilled.

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In addition to the potential problems of corrosion or scaling in tunnel pasteurisers it is
necessary to treat the water in a pasteuriser because of algal growth taking place. These
algae are micro-organisms that like warm wet conditions. They can quickly grow inside a
pasteuriser, producing dark slime. The water needs to be treated with special chemicals
(biocides) to prevent these organisms from growing.

The effect of a high mineral content in the water is also important when considering the
cleaning in place (CIP) of brewing vessels and pipework. Soft or demineralised water will
help the detergent action. It also ensures that there are no mineral residues if the final
rinse water dries out. This also applies to beer kegs and casks that sometimes have scale
problems.

Water used for cooling of refrigeration and air compressors does not need to be of high
quality. There may be a problem however with evaporation towers or evaporative
condensers. Here water is sprayed down a tower and forced to evaporate in a cooling
stream of air. This evaporation will concentrate the water and some scale deposition may
take place. These pieces of equipment will probably need to be cleaned more frequently
than those in a region with good quality water.

Cooling water must be treated with biocide to kill the bacteria which cause Legionnaires
disease. See Brewing water: for more detail

Water for general use such as floor cleaning or domestic use only needs to be potable.

After treatment or refinement

Water often needs to be treated to disinfect it after the early stages of water treatment.
Bacteria will not be killed off by passing through a carbon filter, sand filter or ion exchange
resin. Public water supplies should be free from harmful bacteria. In several brewing
applications sterile water is needed. These include diluting water, CIP rinse water and
purge water for flushing beer lines.

Treatment with strong chemicals such as chlorine, ozone, or chlorine dioxide is often used.
. If chlorine is used it may produce taints or off-flavours and it may need to be removed
later by carbon filtration.

Another technique is to use ultra violet (UV) irradiation. This does not leave any chemical
residues in the water. Using UV is much simpler. The lamps in a UV system do however
require careful maintenance. The lamps are usually supplied as a group in a long tube
through which the water passes. These lamps tend to develop scale and need to be
cleaned regularly to maintain the light intensity. Water needs to be circulated through them
to keep the lamps cool if they are switched on continuously.

More information is available in Brewing:water

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Water quality

Objectives

To identify the quality properties of water around the brewery, apart from its use in
brewing.

Water quality is not easy to define but the World Health Organisation and the European
Union have issued standards. The European standards are in 5 groups described as
follows:-

· Taste

· Dissolved minerals and acidity

· Undesirable substances

· Toxic substances

· Microbiological contaminants (bacteria)

The WHO takes a slightly different view of water quality and describes the key quality
parameters as follows :-

· Microbiological contaminants (bacteria)

· Mineral salts of health significance

· Organic chemicals of health significance (pesticides, petroleum)

· Appearance

· Radioactive components

The water used in brewing certainly needs to be of drinking quality. This is referred to as
being “potable”.

The quality of water needed for brewing is different. Depending on the type of beer being
brewed the water needs to have high or low levels of certain dissolved minerals. The
emphasis here is on the quality of water needed to run services plant and provide water for
cleaning and pasteurising.

There are however a few basic properties of water that affect its use in brewing and in-
services plant that are worth describing :-

Temporary hardness
This measures the levels of calcium and magnesium carbonates and bicarbonates in the
water. When the water is heated it makes the water go cloudy and precipitates the calcium
and magnesium carbonates.

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This causes scale build-up which can coat the surfaces of pipes and tanks to a
considerable depth if left alone. This is why kettles go white inside after a while. Cases of
pipelines becoming completely blocked are known.

An extreme case of scale in a water pipe.

Permanent hardness

This measures the other salts of calcium and magnesium in the water, for example
chloride or sulphate. These salts do not form scale on heating. However if surfaces are left
wet then they will dry out to leave a very thin scale deposit, just like salt forming when sea
water evaporates. This scale will cause a certain amount of corrosion over long periods.

Both temporary and permanent hardness are usually measured as” parts per million”.

Acidity and alkalinity

Water should ideally be nearly neutral. This means it is neither acid (low pH ) or alkaline
(high pH). The neutral point is 7 and the usual range is 5(slightly acid) to 9 (slightly
alkaline). Anything outside this range will cause gradual corrosion and damage to fittings.
The value in water can easily be measured with a pH meter. It can also be measured in
the laboratory by adding a known amount of acid or alkali(caustic) to the water until the
neutral point is reached. This is called titration.

Langelier Index
Do not be put off by this name! This is an index used to indicate whether water is
“corrosive” or “scaling”. This means the pipes will be attacked if the index is negative. If the
index is positive, scale deposition will take place.

Different parts of the brewery use water of different quality.

Water for Desired Quality

Brewing Potable, hardness, alkalinity

Packaging Potable, hardness, Langelier

General Purpose Potable

More information is available in Brewing:water

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Water Distribution

Objectives

To identify the requirements for water distribution in the brewery.

Storage capacity
There is a need for substantial storage capacity because of the big fluctuations in supply
and demand.

What the user wants is a freely available supply where the pressure and volume are
constant.

At the start of the water distribution system there needs to be a large storage capacity.
This is often equivalent to 24 hours usage, but should be at least 12 hours.

The size of these initial storage tanks may be fixed by local laws.

Where a brewery relies on the public supply, there may be a requirement to have 24 hr.
storage so that a temporary stoppage due to a burst water main does not cause a
problem.

It is also advisable for the public supply to be fed direct into a storage tank. It is not
advisable for the brewery users to come direct from a public supply. This is because if
there is a burst pipe in the brewery then the surrounding area will lose pressure. By using
a large storage tank the brewery is almost independent of the nearby users. An intake
tank also allows the rest of the brewery water pressure to be regulated, either by pumping
or gravity feed.

Storage tanks can be made from a variety of materials such as mild steel, concrete or
glass reinforced plastic (GRP). Concrete or steel tanks should be lined with an inert
coating such as epoxy resin. This prevents dissolving out minerals from concrete. With
steel it prevents corrosion. Tanks should be emptied on a regular basis for inspection to
ensure that the surface is intact.

Secondary storage
In addition to the main storage tanks there should be additional storage capacity if water
treatment is used. This gives security of supply in the event of a failure of the treatment
plant.

In addition to this central storage it is advisable to have a set of storage tanks in different
parts of the brewery, such as

· fermentation,

· process,

· domestic,

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 · packaging

· brewhouse.

This has a number of advantages.

Firstly, there is security of supply. If there were no local satellite tanks then one burst pipe
could shut down the entire brewery, because pressure would be lost.

Secondly it is possible to have a steady water pressure in each location.

Thirdly the distribution pipework can be made smaller because it does not need to be
sized for maximum demand in all areas.

These satellite tanks should be located at high level to give adequate pressure. A tank 20
metres above the working level will produce a static head pressure of 2 bar.

If a higher pressure is needed then pumps can be used. Water pipework everywhere
should be kept at high pressure and fitted with non-return valves so that beer or other
contaminants are not forced back into the water system. This could cause a serious
infection problem. This is another reason for having local tanks because they are filled
from above by water falling into the tank. This acts as a break in the supply and prevents
water going backwards.

Pipework
The intake pipework from a public supply is often made from mild steel but it is advisable
to use stainless steel for distribution around the rest of the brewery. This is because
stainless steel does not corrode as easily as mild steel. Corroded mild steel could
introduce Iron in the water. This would be very bad for the beer.

Water treatment plants usually have a lot of plastic pipework and tanks. This is because of
the strong chemicals that are flushed through them when ion exchange resins are being
regenerated. Plastic is acceptable provided it can withstand the pressures used in that
location. It is not suitable if very hot water or steam is used. Where strong chemicals are
used it is also necessary to use special plastic valves and other fittings that do not corrode.
Carbon filtration plant needs to be steamed so it should be made from stainless steel.

Control valves
Pipework should be fitted with non return valves. This stops any “return” back up the
pipelines if feed pressure drops. A simple non return valve is the ball type.

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If there is no pressure then the ball seals
the pipe.

As water pressure starts the ball is pushed

up into the socket.

At full pressure the ball is completely clear

of the water flow

Page 14 of 21
 If the pressure drops then the ball drops
back to seal the pipe.

Courtesy of Hillen de Lelie, Amsterdam

Pipelines will also at some stage be fitted with pressure control/reducing valves. A typical
valve looks like this:

When a valve or other device opens

down stream the water pressure in
the outlet pipe (right hand side)
drops. The pressure on the inlet now
pushes up the spring and allows
water to flow. The spring (which is
adjustable) controls the pressure.

As more water is required the piston

automatically opens to a wider
position. Conversely, the piston
automatically closes when the
demand ceases.

The discharge service pressure is

regulated by the pressure adjusting
screw: to reduce pressure - turn
screw into valve, to increase
pressure - turn screw out of valve.

Courtesy Ford Regulator Valve Corporation

The Cost of Water

Water may not appear to be expensive especially if the brewery operates its own supply.
There is almost always a disposal cost and a considerable energy cost in pumping water
around the brewery. Many breweries compare the total use of water with the volume of
beer produced. This water use ratio is an important indication of brewery efficiency. This
figure can range from 3 to1 up to as high as 25 to 1. If water and effluent are expensive or
in short supply then great efforts must be made to lower this ratio. In practice 3to1 is

Page 15 of 21
achieved by a number of breweries and generally modern plants operate in the range 3-5.
Much depends on the type of brewery and the nature of the packaging operations.

Many breweries sub-divide the use of water. Each area is metered. An active policy of
detecting leaks and continuously checking and improving the process is carried out.

Page 16 of 21
Effluent

Objectives

To identify the fundamentals of effluent treatment.

Treatment of residual materials

In the pre-treatment of water with coagulants or sand filters there is a gradual
accumulation of solids. These must be discharged at intervals. Sand filters are
backwashed to remove solids, which can be flushed to drain. The solids produced by
coagulating chemicals are more bulky and these have to be dewatered mechanically
before disposal.

The concentrated water produced as a residue from Reverse Osmosis plants does not
need special disposal. It only contains the same mineral salts as the incoming supply of
water, so it can be discharged to drain without any further treatment. Often it is discharged
direct to a river to avoid paying for further treatment.

The residues from ion exchange plants are treated as effluent and this will be discussed in
the next section.

The disposal of waste water

We have seen above the amount of water used by breweries. This is expressed as a ratio
of total water used to beer produced. Some of this water obviously goes out as product,
and some is lost by evaporation. This takes place in the wort kettles and evaporative
condensers. The rest of the water goes down the drain. It is not however clean water and
contains a variety of substances harmful to the environment. The sort of materials found in
brewery waste water are as follows:-

· wort and beer

· trub

· spent grains and yeast

· cleaning fluids-acids caustic and organic dirt

· cooling water from utilities plant

· chemical discharges from water treatment plant

There may be some segregation of the effluent from a brewery.

Domestic effluent usually only goes into the public sewer, but trade effluent could be
treated on-site or combined with the domestic effluent.

A third category of waste water is the rain that falls on the site. Often the yard drains are
diverted direct into the nearest river so that there are no effluent charges. Rain water may

Page 17 of 21
be contaminated with beer, spent grains or vehicle oil. If there is any doubt about its quality
then it should be added to the effluent stream.

The various forms of effluent mentioned above all have different properties that make them
undesirable in waste water and dangerous to aquatic life. These pollutants can be divided
into a number of groups. Each poses different problems for treatment. We shall not cover
the types of effluent treatment plant here but it is important to know what the problems are
and how they can be reduced.

The different types of effluent can be roughly separated as follows:-

· Suspended solids

· Organic soluble effluent

· Acids and alkalis(caustic)

· High temperature discharges

· Mineral oils

· Toxic chemicals

Suspended solids
Breweries discharge quite a lot of suspended solids.

The offending materials are such things as spent grains, trub, filter powder, waste yeast
and bottle labels.

The filter powder is completely inert and will eventually end up in a landfill site. The other
materials are organic in nature and will eventually decompose, although with some
difficulty. Trub, grains and yeast are not too difficult but traces of paper labels are very
slow to degrade.

All of these materials can be reduced by careful control in the brewery.

Many powder filters are fitted with the facility to collect the spent powder and discharge it
as a solid waste. Putting it down the drain will cause problems. In particular pumps are
eroded by the abrasive action of the filter powder.

Spent grains should all be collected for disposal as animal feed.

Any spillage is best brushed up rather than washed down the drain.

Paper labels are mainly trapped in the bottle washer or the keg washer, so the amounts
going to waste can be controlled. Some disintegration of the labels can occur if the washer
is too aggressive.

Page 18 of 21
Organic Soluble Effluent
Significant levels of dissolved organic material such as beer and wort end up in the drains.
The problem with this kind of material is that it decomposes very quickly by bacterial
action. This takes large amounts of oxygen out of the water.

If this wort or beer went into a river it would quickly decompose and suffocate the fish. It
also produces offensive smells and excessive growth of toxic algae in rivers and lakes.

Wort in trub can be saved by mixing it with spent grains.

More beer is lost during beer filtration and transfer. There are also unavoidable losses
when brewing vessels are cleaned, especially rough beer vessels such as fermenters and
conditioning tanks.

Kegs, bottles and casks always have traces of beer in them when they are returned for
cleaning.

Acids and Alkalis

Acid and alkali (caustic) detergents are used all over the brewery for cleaning. They are
also sometimes used for regenerating Ion Exchange resins in a demineralisation plant.

These detergents gradually get dirty and have to be dumped to drain at intervals. These
materials will have a very high pH (alkali) or a very low pH (acid).

Both are not acceptable in the drains for 2 main reasons.

Firstly the drains themselves can be damaged by such strong chemicals. The adhesive
cement holding the pipe sections together will be attacked.

Secondly such strong chemicals will kill off the useful bacteria in the effluent treatment
works if the volume and strength is too high.

When detergents have to be discharged there are 2 ways of reducing this problem:-

· Allow the detergent to go down the drain slowly over a period of a few hours.
This will allow it to mix with other effluent and become diluted.

· Neutralise the detergent by mixing it with either acid or alkali. If acid is being
dumped-add some alkali. If alkali is being dumped add some acid. Sometimes it
is possible to discharge 2 different detergents at the same time, one acid and
the other alkali. In this situation they will neutralise each other and become
harmless.

High Temperature Discharges

Hot water from the boilerhouse, pasteurisers or cleaning plant is also likely to damage the
drains. Ceramic material may crack due to the stress of expansion.

If the volume is large enough, again it could kill off bacteria in the effluent treatment plant.
A common limit on temperature is 43 deg. C. This is not very hot.

Putting hot water down the drain is also wasteful of energy. The hot water discharged from
various items of plant can be put through a heat exchanger. This cools down the effluent
and creates clean hot water for another use.

Page 19 of 21
Mineral Oils
Mineral oil discharges should not be a problem in a brewery. If they occur at all it will be
due to an accident or illegal acts. Oil is harmful to treatment plants and in large quantities
is a fire risk. If there are parts of the brewery where oil is used, then oil traps should be
installed in the drains as a precaution. Such areas ,for example, will be garages and
workshops.

Toxic Chemicals
As with mineral oils it is unlikely that toxic chemicals will be found in a brewery. Some
laboratory chemicals may come into this category and should be handled as special
waste. These are usually taken away for disposal by a specialist contractor.

In summary, the various brewery discharges can be tabulated as shown below, indicating
the type of discharge:-

Organic(biodegradable) Suspended Acid or alkali High temp.

solids

Wort * *
Trub * * *
Cleaning fluids * * * *
Boilerhouse *
Container * * *
cleaning

The cost of effluent

Effluent costs almost everywhere are rising rapidly. This is due to increasing demands for
a reduction in pollution. This means a better quality of treatment. Effluent is now more
expensive than clean water in most countries. Unless a brewery has special
circumstances it is not usually cost-effective to have a treatment plant in the brewery. It is
usually simpler and cheaper to send the effluent to the public works. A public treatment
plant will normally impose special conditions on a brewery so that the effluent is not too
strong. These conditions often cover the following:-

· Volume-daily and hourly maxima

· Suspended solids

· Organic content-known in the UK as BOD biological oxygen demand

· pH this measures acidity or alkalinity and the limits are usually quite close to
pH7 which is neutral

· Temperature maximum often 43 deg. C

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There is usually a charge for each of these parameters and penalties if they are broken.
The exact conditions vary from country to country. They should be designed to meet the
direct cost of treatment.

Regulating flow
It has been mentioned above that the effluent from a brewery can be variable. It is good
practice to reduce the potential pollution. The release of strong chemicals should be done
slowly, or they can be mixed together. Some plants have improved their mixing by having
large buffer tanks. In these the effluent is collected and mixed over a period of several
hours and its contents checked. The tank is then slowly run to drain while another tank
starts to fill. This takes out any shocks in volume, temperature or pollution content.

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